1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for matching decorative products based on color, more particularly, for matching one type of decorative product to other types of decorative products by matching each product with a paint color.
2. Prior Art
Color coordinating of decorative products such as wallpaper, fabrics, floor coverings, and window treatments to each other and to paints, is typically performed by the consumer or a professional decorator by the eye. A swatch of wallpaper, fabric, or the like is compared to an array of paint chips to determine which paint closely matches the background or accent colors in the swatch to be matched. The same type of process must be repeated to coordinate the swatch of wallpaper to a swatch of carpeting. The identification of matching colors is subject to uncontrolled variables, such as the viewers eye and the lighting conditions. For each type of decorative product, there are numerous catalogs and sample books displaying the products which must be paged through by hand to locate all possible matching products. There is no uniform system of referencing or matching products from one decorative type (e.g., wallpaper) to another decorative product type (e.g., carpeting) because each manufacturer and each industry for the separate decorative product types maintain separate catalogs and sample books and rely upon the end user or professional decorator to coordinate the products. While some manufacturers provide products which are promoted as coordinating with other products within a certain style grouping, the ability to match a product provided by one manufacturer to a different product type produced by yet another manufacturer is limited.
One solution to the problem of matching a sample of a decorative product to paints is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,000 which discloses a method of matching a selected color with predetermined available paint colors. A portable calorimeter is used to analyze the selected color of an unknown sample and store the chromaticity data (hue, chroma, and brightness) for the selected color. The stored chromaticity data is coupled to a computer. The computer also stores chromaticity data for a set of paint formulas. The computer then selects the stored paint formula having chromaticity data which most closely matches the chromaticity data of the unknown sample. This system provides a method of matching a single, unknown sample (e.g., a swatch of wallpaper) to a known set of paint formulas. However, it does not allow for identification of other decorative product types beyond paint which would match the unknown sample. Moreover, every practice of the method requires the use of a calorimeter and access to a link between the calorimeter and a computer storing the paint database.
Another system for color matching decorative products is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,391. In that system, the colors of decorative products are determined spectrophotometrically and are assigned a Pantone color best matching the colors of the products. Several product types, including wallpaper, drapery fabric, floor coverings, and paint, are stored in computer databases with a Pantone color associated for each of the products. Via a computer, a user selects one decorative product type (e.g., wallpaper) and identifies a style therefor (e.g., traditional or contemporary), a pattern type, and the computer presents a screen of potential colors. The colors are a condensed version of the approximately 1,700 Pantone available colors, and the user selects one of the colors appearing on the computer screen. The wallpaper database is then searched and a display of wallpapers which match the color and style selected by the user is presented. The user chooses one wallpaper and may then search other decorative products, such as paint. The paints are identified as those which match the Pantone colors found in the selected wallpaper. Finally, the computer presents a representation of a room decorated with each of the decorative products identified in the system. This system requires that each of decorative products available from one or more manufacturers is matched with a Pantone color. The Pantone color is used as the reference for matching one decorative product to another decorative product. A drawback to this system is that the user must first select a color based on a computer representation of Pantone colors. The ability to accurately represent colors on a computer screen remains problematic. Color quality can be affected by the computer hardware and operating system. A color presented on a computer screen is often not a true representation of the actual color, hence, the products selected by the system may not actually be the color desired by the user. In addition, although the system allows for selection of multiple product types (wallpaper, paint, etc.), the user must initiate the search from a single color choice. There is no mechanism for matching a preselected product to other decorative products.
Accordingly, a need remains for a method and apparatus for matching commercially available decorative products based on a preselected decorative product by a user which is simple to use and readily accessible.